Syed Ghulam Meran Shah

The current study elucidates the influence of product diversification strategies and technological R&D investments on the resilience of Chinese high‐tech listed companies in the context of US trade sanctions. Our findings reveal an inverse U‐shaped relationship between enterprise product diversification and resilience. R&D investment positively affects resilience but with diminishing returns. Notably, R&D investments amplify the inverted U‐shaped effect of product diversification on firm resilience, particularly when product diversification falls within the “double threshold.” Furthermore, non‐state‐owned holding enterprises exhibit a more pronounced impact of product diversification on resilience compared to state‐owned counterparts. Our research not only examines the impact of these strategies on enterprise resilience but also clarifies how different strategic choices influence the response and consequences of enterprises facing systemic risks. We shed light on the varying impacts of external systemic risks on businesses. These insights provide valuable guidance for enterprises aiming to bolster their resilience and sustain steady development under the influence of trade complexity. Methodologically, this study integrates a discrete‐time dynamic resilience framework with event‐study and panel‐regression approaches, modeling how firms transition across resilience states—resistance, recovery, and adaptation—in response to sequential sanction shocks. This discrete‐dynamics perspective contributes a novel bridge between dynamic systems theory and empirical corporate strategy research.

The objective of the study is to demonstrate how cognitive chief executive officers (CEOs) influence corporate social and environmental performance under the moderating impact of innovation, supervisors and cash holdings. Significantly, we have formulated cognitive CEOs using data envelope analysis while considering the specific attributes of the incumbent CEO (by considering the age, tenure, goodwill, education and tacit knowledge of CEOs). The research approach aims to elucidate that cognitive CEOs strongly invigorate social and environmental performance. However, the moderating role of corporate innovation weakens this connection, whereas the moderating role of supervisors invigorates this relationship. In contrast, cash hoarding deters social and environmental performance through its moderating effectiveness. Conclusively, theoretical contribution illuminates the stakeholder theory frame of reference while emphasizing the identification of corporate social and environmental performance. Specifically, the role of cognitive CEOs has been signified as a promoter of such strategies, which indicate their orientation toward social responsibility. Empirical underpinnings illustrate the impact of corporate innovation, supervisors and cash holdings, which asymmetrically influence social and environmental performance. The recommendations of the research results refer to the characterization of the optimal attributes of cognitive CEOs that are essential to enhance social and environmental performance.

The objective of the study is to contemplate the effectiveness of hierarchical CEO succession and hierarchical CEO succession intensity on SOEs & Non-SOEs performance separately. Meanwhile, the impact of hierarchical CEO succession on cash holdings has also been analysed. The authenticated data has been accumulated from CSMAR for the years 2012-2016 contemplating the listed companies (SOE and Non-SOEs separately for performance while overall companies for cash holdings) on Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges. Through categorization of hierarchical CEO succession, it has been signified that middle-level hierarchical CEO succession elevates the SOEs performance. In contrast, middle and high-level hierarchical CEO succession mitigate the cash holdings. Conclusively, earning management as a moderator has been analysed while deducing that hierarchical CEO succession reduces cash holdings despite firms involving earning management activity which is ultimately beneficial for firms’ growth. The empirical results are robust to alternate technique 2SLS instrumental regression that controls for endogeneity.

This study contemplates the factors that influence consumer intention, before and during the eruption of COVID-19, for the selection of healthy packaged food in Pakistan. The extant studies have identified two distinct attitudes of consumers about food label information: one is its usefulness and the second elucidates the avoidance. Hence forth, the current study contributes to the extant literature while signifying both reasons which motivate consumers to read food labels and reasons which discourage consumers from consult food labels at the point of purchase. Moreover, the impact of subjective norms and self-efficacy for healthy packaged food intentions has also been examined for both before the emergence of COVID-19 and during the spread of COVID-19. The underpinning of the proposed model has been justified by the behavioral reasoning theory. The cross-sectional data of 14,455 students has was collected from 10 universities through Microsoft Teams and Zoom. AMOS 21 was employed for the final analysis. The results indicate that before COVID-19 the subjective norms and self-efficacy were not the stimulating factors for the selection of healthy packaged food. On the contrary, during the COVID-19 outbreak, the subjective norms and self-efficacy divulged a significant effect. Moreover, the reasons to consult food labels are positively significant whereas the reasons to avoid food labels have negatively affected the consumer, both before COVID-19 and during COVID-19 outbreak, while endorsing healthy packaged food. Conclusively, COVID-19 has been proved to be a deterrent for unhealthy packaged food lovers while being a blessing for healthy packaged food.

The objective of the study is to signify the impact of corporate social responsibility performance on state‐owned and non‐state‐owned enterprises' performance. The contributive concept of CSR performance has been formulated while contemplating total tax, staff expenditure, public welfare expenditure, social cost and total equity. To contemplate with deep insight, the moderating role of innovation input and output has been substantiated through empirical results. The data of 502 listed companies on Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has been endorsed for years 2009–2018. Empirical underpinnings reveal that corporate social responsibility performance boosts the non‐state‐owned enterprises' performance vehemently while state‐owned enterprises have proclaimed insignificant results. Comprehensively, innovation input has decelerated the Non‐state owned Enterprises' performance while innovation output has remained insignificant. Specifically, leverage has been signified as the most deterrent vehicle for declining the Non‐State Owned Enterprises' performance. Intuitively, the theoretical contribution is manifested while deducing the implicative aspect of legitimacy theory which emphasizes on the adoption of corporate social responsibility. Implicatively, the study recommends to ameliorate the corporate structure of state‐owned enterprises comprehensively so that advantage of corporate social responsibility may be attained vigorously. Doubtlessly, empirical results are reliable and authenticated due to the execution of GMM and 2SLS instrumental regressions.

Though income distribution is mainly the responsibility of the central government but the intergovernmental system can either improve or deteriorate the equity in the redistribution of resources. Income redistribution depends upon how the process of devolution is premeditated and implemented. This study reveals the empirical evidences on the effect of different types of intergovernmental transfers/grants, under NFC awards, on household income inequality using a sample of panel data of provincial units in Pakistan from 1990 to 2015. Empirical underpinnings contemplate that straight transfers and non‐development grants have taken on the greater change in reducing income inequality and thus have made the utmost attempt to guarantee the equal distribution of revenues among the federating units. On contrary, the divisible pool transfers, augment the income inequality. Remarkably, even if devolution could be attractive due to efficiency reasons, it may have uninvited consequences on the income distribution. Further development grants indicate no relation to household income inequality. These results also have obvious policy implications as the normative scheme governs intergovernmental regional transfers in case of divisible pool transfers in Pakistan which must be revised, and focus should be given on implementation, if the objective is to confer the country' greater territorial cohesion.